Is there any reason this needs to be on a public blockchain? What are the benefits? Why is this a better solution than Brave keeping points/payments data in their own database?
What if the Taliban downloads and starts using your browser? Do you want to keep their ledgers and start processing payments for them using your centralized DB?
The use of crypto here has the same reason as use of crypto almost anywhere else, to sidestep regulations and liabilities. Doesn't matter whether those regulations are there for very good reason.
If the Taliban trades on a public blockchain, aren't their ledgers being kept and their payments being processed by every miner? I don't see how that sidesteps liability at all; it just externalizes it.
It's just regulatory arbitrage. I am not a lawyer, but until there are clear laws about it, why can't you just claim that this is just funny money with no real world value, and it has no more seriousness than an in game gold/xp?
> why can't you just claim that this is just funny money with no real world value, and it has no more seriousness than an in game gold/xp?
That might work in a jurisdiction where the trade in cryptocurrency is illegal but its possession is allowed, but I can't imagine a US or European court would take that argument seriously when crypto has a demonstrable market value. The court would almost certainly treat crypto like a commodity in that case. Wheat doesn't have KYC requirements, but if you knowingly and demonstrably facilitate wheat trades on behalf of a sanctioned entity, you can expect some legal trouble.
It could be done via a centralised database. However, Brendan Eich is a cryptocoin enthusiast. He thinks that BAT is more valuable because it can leverage DeFi infrastructure. It also drastically reduces worries about that database's availability, making the job the Brave team has to do easier.
There’s a book I really enjoyed called Narconomics.
It helps explain all aspects of the drug trade through the lens of business.
One of the most fascinating takeaways was how they handle “contract enforcement” in the absence of a legal system or courts (hint: Violence)
I recall an anecdote that Mexican cartels would hire Mexicans —- and not Dutch —- in order to serve as drug mules smuggling product into Amsterdam. Dutch mules would get caught less often, but Mexicans were much less likely to steal the drugs entirely. Because when you sign up to be a mule they take down the names and addresses of your entire family (nearby), and will kill them if you steal the product. Contract enforcement.
judgements from the usual court system are enforced by the police, who are authorized to use force - i.e. violence - in the event of non-compliance. this is not a unique feature of the drug trade.
While this is true, the quantity of the violence needed, and like, the legibility of the conditions under which violence is to be meted out, can be much better in the case of, like, laws and state, than,
well, perhaps if there was no state, there could be another mechanism which is comparable or better, but when contract enforcement in a particular area is excluded from state enforcement, while normal areas aren’t, I expect the violence used in that area to be worse.
I’d say the amount of violence is related to the amount of resources available in the economy where trust needs to be established. If you have a lot of resources, you can spend more on monitoring and surveillance, and afford more losses. When resources become scarce, you climb the control ladder faster and resort to physical violence because you can’t afford not to.
Interestingly, the trust is established by the use (and threat) of violence by the state. Not that it is a bad thing, it is worth it for the resulting order. The state "violence monopoly" is essential in a shared value system.
The thing that really opened my eyes to this now-obvious (to me) truth was reading the history of the Scottish clan system. A state is essentially (or at least begins with) organized crime with a monopoly on crime organization. Or put another way, an organized crime majority.
I came to realize at the age of 30 that I am actually an extrovert
Being a Computer Science grad / software engineer and on the quieter side, I always labeled myself as an introvert. But I more recently identified that I get a lot of energy from talking to the right people, even if I’m not loud and gregarious like your textbook extrovert.
The main thing is I only get energy from talking to interesting people about interesting things, and I now see that as a positive, instead of hating myself for not meeting some unrealistic standard of being able to engage with boring people over small talk or trivial matters
> The main thing is I only get energy from talking to interesting people about interesting things
I can relate to this, but to me it's different than true extroversion.
My mom was an extrovert. I took her to the grocery store once, waited for her at the front while she tooled around in a cart (she was elderly but wanted to shop by herself). She had to pick up maybe 5 things. After about 20 minutes, I called her and she didn't answer. After 10 more minutes I called, she answered, and said she was talking to a "friend" about her husband who had recently died. I said, "Who is this?", and she said "You don't know her, we just met." I actually got kinda mad that I had been waiting all this time, she hadn't finished her shopping, and had been (and still was!) talking to some stranger so long.
Once we were in standing in line at the checkout, again at the grocery but when she was younger and getting around okay, and people would just start spontaneously talking to her, or she to them. Next thing you know they'd be telling her about their husband that cheated on them, they didn't get along with their kids, or who knows what!
In the grocery store, no one talks to me - ever. I don't care, but it just doesn't happen. My mom told me once it's because I don't look at people. My sister asked why everyone talked to Mom and my mom said, "the secret is, don't ever talk about yourself. If someone tells you something, just act interested, say 'Really?', or ask them a question, but then wait for them to start talking again." My sister has tried it and said it's amazing how well it works.
A big difference between me and my mom is that she was actually interested in the lives of complete strangers. She liked people on a level way above me. And not just for small talk: she talked with them about their lives, their problems, their goals, their careers - you name it. She was energized by talking to all kinds of people. To her, all people were interesting and energized her. A true extrovert.
Is this the secret reality of extroversion/introversion? I'll have to think about this for a bit but looking back at the encounters I've had with extroverts, they're mostly just good at smalltalk, jokes and BS. They can sometimes be fun but can also be extremely tiring to be around if you're not in the mood for that type of engagement. On the other hand, I know a lot of introverts who are extremely talkative when discussing their area of interest or any other deep conversation. I'll have to be mindful about noticing if I actually do get tired of social interaction the same way with "introverts" and "extroverts". Thank you for this new perspective.
Are you sure those people were extroverts? I am most definitely not an extrovert, but I'm fine with "smalltalk, jokes and general BS" when I have to be. i.e., if I'm trying to be sociable, or to meet someone, or just not be a party pooper. It's not my normal state, it's just me trying to not be an asshole.
The definition of extraversion and introversion that has felt most accurate to me is that extraverts feel energized by social connection, while introverts feel energized by alone time. It does not necessarily correspond to how gregarious or outgoing you are or are perceived to be.
I have never been or desired to be the life of the party. But I like being at the party, and I get bored and lonely quickly when I'm by myself.
In contrast, I had a boss who truly was the gregarious, social butterfly type -- but it drained her, and she would need to withdraw and have extended alone time to feel rejuvenated.
In the end, few of us are 100% either way. We all need periods of social time and alone time. But understanding these labels in terms of what energizes you has been very helpful to me.
I think being extrovert is really being able to basically have all your internal communications happening on the outside. I.e., people who can (and will) think out loud all the time, no matter what.
From that pov, I think most of us are not introvert or extrovert but in between, e.g. "normal".
I suspect I'm similar; I think I actually like engaging with people whenever I get the chance to do so; I just have no idea how to get my anxiety out of the way so the opportunities are very rare.
I founded a company called Milo (https://www.getmilo.com/) - we started as a “One Medical For Pets” modern veterinary clinic and actually had 3 hospitals before realizing that the real value was in the software we had built to make our teams more efficient. Now we’re pure SaaS
It is definitely challenging to pivot and fighting sunk cost bias is massively hard
A more accurate analogy is that if you avoid eating pork you must also avoid eating anything with gelatin made from pig bones, such as licorice, pudding, and some baking mixes.
It works as a thought experiment. If someone at a restaurant refused to handle pork products, but was seen on Facebook eating a BLT. Is it the employers place to interpret their religion?
Similarly many Jews disagree on the definition of work on the Sabbath. If a Jewish person took off on the Sabbath for religious reasons, is the the employers place to tell them they can't turn any lights on, or use the oven?
(16:115) He has only forbidden you dead meat, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and any (food) over which the name of other than Allah has been invoked. But if one is forced by necessity, without wilful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits,- then Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
So only meat is banned and only when it's not "necessary" (which is really open to interpretation)
Except the hospital is even more justified. Because the relationship between the COVID-19 vaccine and fetal tissue is exactly the same as the relationship between those other medications and fetal tissue.
It's directly a 1-1 relationship even more than pork and gelatin.
We are on a mission to make the physical world shoppable. We are using QR codes, NFC, Apple App Clips and Android Instant Apps to make it easy to reorder physical goods (like drinks, skincare, etc) and also to make it easy to buy merchandise at concerts and events.
Our focus is on creating immersive experiences that feel much different than a typical QR code or website. Check out an example by scanning the QR code on our website: https://getbatch.com
We have a small, senior engineering team of 4 and are looking for senior engineers to join the team. We believe in running a small autonomous team where each member is invested in the product and deeply trusted to build the right solutions for the business.
We just raised $5M from a series of top tier investors including Coatue and 776. [1]
Is there any reason this needs to be on a public blockchain? What are the benefits? Why is this a better solution than Brave keeping points/payments data in their own database?